Discovered Differently
by BinaryEye101
Summary: The turtles escaped years ago, but one was left behind. Found in the sewers as nothing more than a tot, it's brought to the TCRI building. Seventeen years later, it escapes. Questions need answers. It needs to know if it's alone in this world. And who are these masked characters telling him they're his family?
1. Chapter 1: Tiny Turtle

**Chapter 1: Tiny Turtle**

In the sewers of New York City, a tiny voice cried out. It was shrill and sharp, resembling that of a child's, easily echoing through the many halls of stone. That voice belonged to a tiny body floating among the debris of the sewer water, a body of a human's infant-sized baby turtle. It had been lost in a surge of water, as most things down there are, and separated from its family. It cried out again, barely managing to keep awake due to its exhaustion. Two strong arms gently wrapped around its waist, lifting it from the water to rest against a muscular chest. "Jon! I've got something here!" another voice cried out, aimed much farther down the tunnel. The voice was deeper and calming, belonging to a construction worker by the name of Casey Jones. "What'd you find, Casey?" another, more gruff, voice asked back. "Some kinda turtle!" Casey replied. The infant turtle felt the tender movements of the man holding it as they progressed back down the tunnel to a small ladder piercing a bright hole of light. Casey paused, looking up into the light before looking down at the infant in his arms. "I'm gonna be careful with ya, alright?" he offered, hearing no response from his little find. Moving to climb the ladder, the infant turtle gripped tight to his clothes, unwilling to be separated from its savior. Reaching the top, the tiny turtle threw its small hands over its eyes, trying to block out the blinding light of the morning sun. "Sorry about that, kiddo. Here, use these." Casey said, placing a pair of heavy duty sunglasses on the infant's face. Due to the lack of a proper nose, the sunglasses began to slide off, until the infant pressed them back enough to stick to its skin. With its new sunglasses, the baby turtle was able to get a good look at its savior: a man standing very tall in height, sporting big muscles, nice brown eyes, and long, black hair that fell about his shoulders. His skin was tanned nicely, and he wore a bright orange construction vest that grabbed the infant's attention. "Dude, that _doesn't_ look any sort of normal." Jon said as he sauntered over. Jon stood beside Casey, eyeing the turtle in his arms. "I know, Jon. Look at it. It's _way_ bigger than any turtle I've ever seen." Casey replied. "Sure as hell is. Why don't ya run it over to the TCRI building? They'll take it offa your hands and pay ya good for it. I can take over your shift for ya in the meantime." Jon offered, gesturing to the massive skyscraper down the street. The TCRI building stood tall over all of New York, towering over its people, businesses, and technology. It was Monday, so the city was quite busy, offering the tiny turtle a barrage of new smells, sights, and sounds. "Alrighty, Jon. I'll see ya later then, man." Casey said, moving to gently wrap the tiny tot in his black rain coat. He didn't want the people of New York seeing _it_, for chance their attention could be gained by a simple mistake he could make. Walking carefully, the little bundle of black in his arm, he traveled about four blocks south, then made a left. The entrance to the massive skyscraper stood just down the street ahead of him, causing his nerves to tremble in his gut. He gulped as he approached the sliding glass door, carefully wiping his grimy rain boots on the rug. A large, wooden desk sat on the far side of the room, a woman seated pleasantly behind it. Walking up to it with a little caution, he tried to keep his cool. "Hello, mam." he greeted. The woman looked up with a smile of pure white. "How can I help you, sir?" she asked. "I, uh, found this little critter in the sewers while my construction team was working on cleaning it out." Casey replied. The woman leaned over the side of the desk and examined the small turtle sitting in his arms. "Alright, sir. I will have my manager down here in a few minutes to deal with it. Just take a seat and we'll come get you when we're ready." the woman stated, gesturing to the numerous chairs sitting in the lobby. Casey walked over to the many yellow chairs lining the lobby and seated himself, leaning back as the woman approached, sitting across from him with a clipboard. "I have a few simple questions for you, sir, if you do not mind." she stated. "No problem, mam." Casey replied, trying to sound casual. "Your name?" she asked. "Casey Jones." he replied. "Have you fed the subject?" she asked. "No." he replied. "Where did you find it, again?" she asked. "Sewer line twelve, intersection of Moth and Creeks Avenue." he replied. "Was it alone?" she asked. "Yes." he replied. She made several notes on the clipboard, glancing up to smile at him again. "Thank you, Mister Jones, for coming in. That's all the questions I had for you." the woman finished. "It's not a problem, mam. Just doing my duty, when I find weird stuff in the city." Casey replied. On cue, five men in black suits came down the hall, marching in harmony until they reached the lobby sector that Casey was seated in. "Good morning, Mister Jones. You wouldn't mind taking a small field trip, would you, to our lab upstairs?" the front man asked. Casey nodded, standing up. Following the men back down the hall and into an elevator, they went up to the eighth floor before getting off and passing through a series of hallways. They entered a room on the left, with a gleaming silver door, and a large window beside it. Two chairs stood in the room, one red, the other blue. Casey seated himself in the blue one, seating the turtle on his lap. To his surprise, the turtle hadn't made a sound the entire trip. The leader sat in the red chair. "Mister Jones. My name is Baxter Stockman. I am the founder of the TCRI Corporations. To put this simply, I believe you've found one of my chemical by-productive animals that I lost in a fire recently. I happened to lose a total of four, and I believe you may have found the only remaining test subject from my experiments." Baxter began. "Well, sir, not to be rude, but maybe you should be more careful with your pets. This little guy was floating around the sewer, by itself." Casey replied. "May I hold it?" Baxter asked, extending his thin arms. Casey nodded, placing the small infant into the scientist's shaking grasp. "I missed you so much." Baxter said, eyes filling with glittering tears. "Thank you so much, Mister Jones. I will make sure you are paid handsomely for saving my little subject. I will have one of my men lead you back down to the lobby, where the receptionists will issue you a check, alright?" Baxter asked, Casey nodding. Baxter gently stroked the turtle's massive dome, the turtle replying with a short giggle. One of the bodyguards led Casey away as he stood up, gesturing towards the door. That was the last the tiny turtle saw of Casey Jones: its savior from the sewers.


	2. Chapter 2: Friend

**Chapter 2: Friend**

SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER:

T-1 got up from his small bed and carefully stretched himself out. T-1 was what they called him, since he was in need of a name and designation numbers. He had grown much larger in size during the seventeen years of captivity: standing about six foot eight inches, with much longer arms and legs. Three toes and fingers acted as appendages, while freakishly cyan eyes marked his face. The doctors hadn't determined an exact gender identification, since he was missing a few parts, and tended to act a little more femininely than masculinely. They had been testing for years: speed, stamina, intelligence, diet, evolution, and much more. He got up and walked over to the small sink provided to him by the doctors, washing his face and giving his teeth a good brushing. Four sharpened canines lined his mouth, with a small tail adorning his rear. His shell had grown hard and sturdy, arming him with much strength. Yet, whenever the doctors came closer, he would always flinch for some unknown reason. This would then cause them to back off a little, as if _they_ were afraid of _him_, and lead to another silent misunderstanding between them. When he was given books to read, he would choose combat for an unknown reason, his interest peaked by the study of swordsmanship and ninjutsu. However, when he finished preparing himself for the doctors, something felt off. They were either late, or he was early in getting up. At last, a doctor walked into the room, a clipboard in hand and a remote in the other. The turtle knew what the remote was for: the treadmill, it's favorite exercise. T-1 watched as the doctor routinely pressed the remote, two planks in the floor sliding apart to lift his treadmill into the room. Normally, he could run at a top speed of 8.6 for nine hours straight, without tiring. Though, the doctors usually gave him something to eat and drink before the testing. Hopping onto the treadmill, the doctor started the track. Beginning with a simple walk, then run, then acceleration into full-scale dash. This went on for two hours before the doctor shut off the treadmill and gestured for him to get off. 'Two hours? Something _is_ off.' T-1 thought. The doctor left the room and a loudspeaker came on. "Subject T-1, we know you are confused right now. But, today, we are going to introduce you to Subject G-1. We ask that you do not show signs of aggression, as it will not be tolerated." a familiar voice spoke to him. Doctor Stockman, T-1's apparent parental unit. T-1 walked over to the mirrored wall and stood by it, as expected of him. The mirror slid away to reveal a window with two large, yellow eyes staring back at him, pulsing with energy. He looked deeper into the glass, trying to wipe the fog away with the palm of his hand, only to watch the wall slide away to reveal a mass of scaly skin. T-1 was frozen to the spot, staring wide eyed at the creature before it. The two eyes lifted from the floor, to a total height of ten feet. Two long arms, muscular and armed with metallic spikes lined the upper body, along with two large, webbed feet of similar design. It bent down and crawled closer, allowing the turtle to see its massive body at full length. Seeming about twenty feet long, with mostly metal armor and many sharp teeth and claws to adorn its long body, it resembled a crocodile. The turtle took a few steps back, falling onto its shell as the gator crawled much closer. The croc's head tilted to the side slightly, its massive yellow eye glaring into T-1's own cyan. "T-1, this is Subject G-1." Baxter confirmed through the loudspeaker. 'How did they make something like you?' T-1 thought as he carefully ran his hand along the length of G-1's head, feeling the numerous textures of the croc's body. "Hello, T-1. I am G-1. But you may call me G." a deep voice offered. T-1 looked up, smiling slightly. "Call me what you'd like. I don't generally care." T-1 replied. "I will call you T, then. It is good to meet you, T." G answered. "It's nice to meet you, too, G." T replied. Over the next three months, the two became good friends, interacting in training, testing, and mealtimes. T was grateful to have someone to speak to, and G was happy to have someone who wasn't fearful of him.


	3. Chapter 3: Escape

**Chapter 3: Escape**

On a Monday, as it seemed, life would not remain like it had been for T-1 and G-1. An explosion rocked the metal door, that kept them safe, off its hinges, as twenty or so men came running inside. After they positioned themselves around the two subjects, a much taller man, dressed in blades of every size, marched into the room with slow steps. G had curled protectively around T, keeping him close on intentions to protect. Other men, dressed in black uniforms and wearing what could be viewed as a red footprint on the center of their chests, dragged four scientists into the room by their hair, throwing them to the floor. "I ask for warriors, and you ignore me. I ask for beasts, and you fail to deliver. What more could you possibly offer me, Stockman, that won't be given up?" the man in blades hissed. "Master Shredder, I swear we're on the bridge of a breakthrough! We've got the new formula for the Mutagen figured out now! Our test subjects, these two subjects, are proof that it works! Please, I beg your forgiveness!" Stockman pleaded, basically praying to the man he called Shredder. Shredder glanced up at T and G, eyes glaring and blazing with fire unknown to them. "If you truly want forgiveness, infect this entire damn city. Leave no human untouched. And, get rid of these disgusting creatures." Shredder demanded, gesturing towards T and G. "But, Master, these are key subjects. Destroying them would be destroying the original strain of the Mutagen and-" Stockman began before Shredder roughly picked him up by his collar and pressed a blade to his throat. "Do as I say, worm, or I will see no future use for you." Shredder hissed. "Yes, Master." Stockman replied quietly, clearly frightened. Shredder dropped Stockman to his knees, turning to move towards the door. G turned to T, a concerned look on his face. "They are going to destroy us, T. We must escape." G whispered to him. T nodded, remaining silent. T carefully stepped from G's circle of flesh, slamming his fist into the side of one of the henchmen's head. The man hit the floor with a quiet thud, Shredder turning to raise an eyebrow at him. "Get rid of them." he snapped, pointing to G and T. The other henchmen pulled staffs with electrical circuits from their clothing, jabbing them threateningly at the two subjects. "Get on, T!" G cried, lowering himself for T to vault onto G's back. G slithered quickly out of the room, leaving behind the scientists and their attackers. Hallways and hallways later, the two managed to get outside through a roof port. G paused on top of a building a few blocks away, allowing T to slide off. "You must go on without me. I _will_ find you one day, but they are tracking us, I can assure you. We must get away, as far as we can." G said. T gestured to G, a tear sliding down his cheek. "From now on, call me Leatherhead. Now, _go_." G said, slithering off into the darkness. T turned to the rooftops with a shudder, feeling the cold breeze for the first time against his green skin. There was so much to explore, but where should he go without Leatherhead? Beginning to slowly walk, he bounded from roof to roof, his footsteps silent in the night. Picking up speed, he broke out into a full run, racing his shadow along the ground. Leatherhead was soon forgotten with the lights, sounds, and smells of the city, the turtle mystified by the combinations of the senses. Turning a corner, he suddenly slammed into the ground, landing hard on his stomach. "You sure it's bad, Raph?" a quiet, yet intelligent, voice asked as a figure stepped from the shadows on his right. Wait, not one. Make that three. They looked alike, but wore different colors in mask and varied in weapon carry. Blinking to prevent blacking out, T lifted his head from the gravel of the roof and turned onto his back, only to find a small blade at this throat. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" a harsh voice asked from the red masked figure. T opened his mouth, attempting to speak, only to show his sharpened canines. "Raph, it looks mad, bro. Maybe we should try something else. You know, like less scary?" a more friendly voice asked from the orange masked figure. "Mikey, it could kill us the second you let up. Never let your guard down, remember?" Raph replied, shifting from foot to foot. The purple masked figure removed the blade from T's neck, kneeling down beside him instead. "Heya, I'm Donatello. What's your name?" he asked, extending a hand. T flinched away from the hand, trying to get up instead. Raph quickly tackled the turtle, holding him in an arm lock. "Don't even try to get away. You're gonna answer my brother's questions or I swear I'm gonna-" Raph began before T cut him off with a kick to his tail and flipping him onto the ground. Mikey jumped forward and aimed a punch at the turtle, missing just to the right. T stepped aside from his swing, got behind him, and swung his foot into his tail as hard as he could. Mikey jumped four feet into the air as he cried out, clutching his rear end, as he fell over the side of the building. "Mikey!" Raph cried, dashing for the side of the building. Mikey hung onto the roof tightly, easily being hauled back to his feet as no damage was apparent. Raph turned and charged to the turtle, knocking it onto the ground. He got on top, pressing his chest to it own. "Who are you?" he growled, holding a sai to T's neck. T remained silent, simply staring at him from his pinned position. Upon seeing his face, Raph seemed to relax a little. "You….You're not trying to hurt anybody, are you?" he asked, backing off a little. T's body relaxed a little at his words, eyes softening from their intensity a little. Sliding off T, Raph stood up, helping him to his feet. He gave T's forehead a little pat, watching him smile softly. Donnie stood from afar, watching T as he reacted to Raph. "Interesting." he stated, stepping closer. T whipped around to face him, snapping his teeth. "Hey! I'm not a bad guy!" Donnie pouted, backing up several feet. "Can we go home now?" Mikey asked, rubbing his eyes. Raph paused, glancing at T, before gently taking his hand. "Follow me, okay?" he asked, T nodding. Donnie took a moment to yank something off T's neck, breaking it and throwing it off the side of the building. "Tracker." he stated to Raph. Slowly leading the turtle down the fire escape and towards a manhole cover, T watched as Donnie lifted it up and everyone quickly slid inside the dark tunnel underneath.


	4. Chapter 4: Family

**Chapter 4: Family **

Raph kept hold of T's hand as they dashed forward together, surprised at how easily he kept up with them. Coming to a dead end tunnel with a small shelf on the wall, Raph reached up and pulled on the beer bottle sitting upon it, a loud clank heard in response. The wall slid away to reveal a secret series of rooms, of which Raph led T inside to. It was the inside of an old train station, furnished but still a little dirty. Few appliances remaining inside, but it seemed as if the area had been converted into a home. Donnie and Mikey seated themselves on the large couch, alongside Raph and T. Donnie gathered a clipboard and pen, sitting close, but not too close. "Alright, we've got a few questions for you, if that's okay?" Raph asked, T nodding. "Do you have a name?" Raph asked. T shook his head. "How'd you escape the TCRI building?" Donnie asked. T paused, moving to gently take the clipboard from Donnie's hand. He drew a picture of the symbol the henchmen wore, before handing it back. "The Foot Clan?" Raph asked aloud, though the question wasn't really directed at anyone. "Would you mind if I ran some tests on you?" Donnie asked. Hearing the word "tests", tears started pricking in T's eyes. Quickly wiping them away, T nodded, smiling softly. Donnie and Raph led the turtle to a large makeshift lab in another room, seating him at a small table. Donnie pulled out four little silver syringes, coated with a red band. "Alright, this is a blood test, this is DNA comparison, this is gender ID, and this is external properties." Donnie said, gesturing to each of the four needles as he injected them. Each needle filled with green blood, T flinching at every small poke. Once the needles had been taken, Raph led T back to the couch. "I want you to meet someone. But, I need you to just wait here for a second, okay?" he asked. T nodded, watching as he slid into a large room on the left, disappearing with Mikey and Donnie as well. "Master Splinter? Are you awake?" Raph's voice quietly asked. "Yes, my son. What is troubling you?" a deep voice replied. "We...uh….found another turtle. Donnie's running tests now to make sure it's healthy and stuff, but, Master, I'm worried." Raph admitted. "Does this turtle have a name? Where does it come from? Did you bring it back to the lair?" Splinter asked, seeming quite concerned. "Yes, Master. We brought it back with us. I think it tried to get the point across that the Foot Clan captured it and it managed to get away, but, it came from the TCRI building. We didn't get a name, sorry." Raph replied. "When Donatello finishes his tests, allow me to meet this new turtle. And, be gentle, Raphael. We don't want it to feel uncomfortable." Splinter stated. There was a moment of silence before the door slid open and Raph exited, finding T playing with his personal pet turtle. "I see ya found Spike. Do you like him?" Raph asked, T nodding while gently patting Spike's head. "Listen, uh-" Raph began before he was interrupted by Donnie's shout. "Raph! Get in here, now!" Donnie cried from the lab. "Coming!" Raph replied, gesturing for T to sit back down on the couch. T did so, watching as the red clad turtle dashed off into the lab. "What?" Raph asked he emerged into Donnie's lab. "There's less than two genetic differences between us, the three of us to be exact, and this new turtle. We're almost a genetic match, Raph." Donnie relayed. "What makes it different?" Mikey asked, from his perch on a nearby chair. "An excess of Mutagen in its system, and a difference in gene type that would accelerate growth. Other than that, he's close enough to be our sibling." Donnie explained. While the ninjas were talking, T had gotten up and found a broom. Gently sweeping the floor clear of dirt, he deposited the dirt in a nearby trash can before eavesdropping for a short while. After listening for a short time, he got up and began slowly cleaning the area he occupied: picking up random items and stacking them neatly together, brushing the tables and such clear of dirt and dust, and wiping the glass fixtures clean. Once he assumed his work was done, he wandered into the kitchen to look for some cleaning supplies. Since Donatello was a scientist, he was bound to have some stashed away somewhere. He went digging through the cabinets, finally finding some paper towels and Windex. Walking around to each appliance, he dusted and cleared them of grime, stashing the dirtied towels in the trash. Once that was done, he reseated himself on the couch and played with Spike. It had been almost an hour since Raphael had left, so he went through the magazines on the coffee table for some amusement. Many were for cars, comics, and television shows, sparking his curiosity. Finally, Raph emerged with the others from the lab, smiling awkwardly at each other. "T." Raph said, addressing his new charge. T lifted his head, sitting up as Raph approached. Raph moved to stand in front of him, gently taking his hand. "I want you to meet the person who raised us, okay?" Raph offered, T nodding. Leading T through the paper door, Raph sat him down in a kneeling position on the floor in front of a large tree, somehow growing with subway light. A long carpet was stitched carefully around the base of the tree, bordered by large shelves along the walls and another paper door. A figure emerged from the other paper door, dressed in long, dark red robes, a tail flicking along the floor at its feet. Looking up to see its full height, T gazed up into the face of a well-groomed humanoid rat. The eyes of the rat held him in place, calming his racing heart as he gazed upward, breathing beginning to even out. "Welcome to our home, child." the rat stated, his voice deep and calming. Mikey leaned over and grinned beside T. "This is Master Splinter, our Sensei. He taught us everything we know." he explained. After a moment of silence, Splinter smiled softly. "I hear you are from the TCRI building. The Foot Clan somehow came into contact with you, and attempted to harm you, yes?" Splinter asked. T considered his words for a moment before nodding. "Do you not speak? You are allowed to voice your thoughts here. There are no punishments for speech. We welcome all ideas." Splinter said. Upon hearing those words, T gained a curious look, his mouth opening in response to the look. "I speak." he replied. His voice was also calm, but sported more of a rhythmic note to it. Splinter smiled softly once more, moving to sit in front of him. "Long ago, I was nothing more than an ordinary man. Then, I was splashed with something today called Mutagen. This substance changed my body and fused me with a rat. The same happened to my three sons here. Except, they were simply baby turtles I was carrying. Their forms were changed into something more intelligent….something resembling more of a human. We escaped a lab, having once been captured by a man named Baxter Stockman, and fled to the sewers." Splinter explained. "You have to understand that we're genetically connected. We absorbed Master Splinter's human DNA and changed into _this_, and he absorbed the DNA of a rat and turned into _that_." Donnie added. "My sons, I have kept this from you long enough. There were not three of you that night. There was a fourth, that was swept away in a strong current of sewer water. I searched for years, but I never found him again. I named that child Leonardo." Splinter said, gesturing towards T. "That's why we're so genetically similar!" Donnie exclaimed, smacking himself in the face. "We have another brother?" Mikey asked, scratching his head. "Yeah, Mikey. This is Leonardo." Raph scolded, smacking Mikey on the head. "Indeed." Splinter said. T looked down at his hands before gazing around the room at the other three turtles and the rat. "I am Leonardo?" he asked. "You are. I named you after Leonardo Da Vinci, the famous artist. You still have the same curious eyes you left with." Splinter replied. "Welcome home, Leo." Raph said, bringing Leonardo into a hug. "Thank you." Leo replied, feeling Mikey push against his shell. Donnie joined in, and soon everyone was hugging Leo tightly. "Thank you so much." Leo said, tears slowly filling his eyes.

~END


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